The Daily Mirror has won the award for being the first media outlet to start stirring the up the imminent transfer rumours of virtually the whole Saints squad to Everton.

"Southampton star risks fans' wrath by suggesting Everton is a step up the managerial ladder for Ronald Koeman" screams the latest headline on the Daily Mirror's online website, however that is not quite what Shane Long actually said.

Long actually said.

"Obviously, it's disappointing to see him leave."

“Especially over the last six months, he has really stuck by me and played me week in, week out."

“I really got on with him and I learned a lot from him. But he obviously has an opportunity to progress in his career and I wish him all the best."

That is hardly as the headline reads, suggesting that it is a step up for Ronald Koeman, it is just one of his former players appreciating what he had contributed to his career and wishing him well.

To say that he is progressing in his career is not giving an opinion whether that is a step up or step down in the career, merely that he is moving on, if for instance Llloyd Isgrove moved permanently to Barnsley where he spent last season on loan it would progress his career which has stalled at St Mary's but it would hardly be a step up the ladder for him, I'm sure that Shane Long would also wish Isgrove all the best.

So this is what we can expect in the next few weeks as most of our squad will be linked to Everton, I am not sure that will please the Everton faithful or their new sugar daddy, they are expecting higher things than sixth place next season and if they want to achieve that, signing half of Saints squad for £150 million and then adding it to the rest of their squad that has languished in the bottom half is not going to get them that.

Perhaps what will come back to haunt Koeman though is his declarations of loyalty to Saints in the closing months of the season, that encouraged some of Saints biggest stars to put pen to paper to long term deals, meaning Saints are not under any pressure to sell in the summer due to contracts running down.

Saints will sell a player or two that suits them, most notably Wanyama who is entering the last year of his contract, Pelle who at 32 is heading into the twilight of his career could be cashed in for a decent fee and if anyone is really silly enough to pay £30 million for Mane then we could snap their hand off.

But when you consider that would hand us around £50 million for our own transfer kitty when you include the £5 million donation from Everton plus any other cash lying around from the increased Premier money then I would say that the new Saints manager will have a lot stronger squad to work with than Koeman will have at his disposal at Everton even after spending £150 million.

Saints will march on, Saints fans just need to ignore the tabloid press trying to make every little statement sound like a cast iron transfer certainty, rather than just gossip with little substance.

Photo: Action Images

perazi added 04:02 - Jun 15 Two things Nick; Pelle will turn 31 on July 15....he's not 32. Mane is worth every penny of 30 million - the issue will not be whether a Club comes in for him at that price, it will be whether Saints Board have the will and ambition to keep him at the Club.
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SanMarco added 12:15 - Jun 15 He's not going to budge on 32 perazi!! I would love to receive a pound for every time the word ambition will be used on here over the next couple of months. It must be remembered that a sudden shift to paying the Manes of this world the same rates paid by 'bigger' clubs would lead to a vast expansion in our wage bill. I believe that, weighing up the odds, such a risk would not be worth it. If we do things right then one day soon the next Mane will want to stay. That said, I will panic with the best of the bedwetters as players are 'linked' by all and sundry but that's the way it is. The Cortese bug was exciting because it represented a 'go for it' and don't worry about the consequences risk - I think it is sensible to worry about the consequences...

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